"This is a brutal reminder that candidate quality matters regardless of where you are running," said a statement issued by the Republican PAC Senate Leadership Fund. "Not only did Steve Bannon cost us a critical Senate seat in one of the most Republican states in the country, but he also dragged the President of the United States into his fiasco.”

Bannon, the former White House chief strategist known for his work at the alt-right media outlet Breitbart News, backed Moore since the primaries. Most other prominent Republicans favored Luther Strange until Moore won the nomination. Bannon poured his energy into campaigning for Moore. At a rally on December 11th, Bannon spoke directly to the audience, condemning Republicans who opposed Moore.

"There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better," he said.

This isn’t the first time a Bannon-backed Republican candidate has lost, either. Bannon campaigned for the Republican candidate, in the Virginia gubernatorial race, who lost to his Democratic opponent in November. Add this to the fact that many mainstream Republicans dislike Bannon for his radical views and desire to overthrow the establishment, and when they saw a way to blame Moore’s loss on him, they pounced.

Before we get the results, I'd just like to thank Steve Bannon for showing us how to lose the reddest state in the union and Governor Ivey for the opportunity to make this national embarrassment a reality

Bannon’s support may have hurt the Republicans’ chances in Alabama, but the bottom line is that Moore was a weak candidate. Alabama voters made their choice clear. Jones’ record of fighting for civil rights triumphed over Moore’s flaws. And Bannon had little to do with that.